Senator Mitch McConnell was in the midst of speaking at the GOP leadership weekly news conference in Washington D.C. on Wednesday when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence and appeared to freeze at the podium. After an extended pause, a concerned Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) could be overheard asking McConnell if he wanted to go back to his office and if he wanted to “take a break,” as seen in the video here. McConnell did not reply as GOP members carefully escorted him away before taking over the conference.
Political fans were immediately concerned about McConnell’s health. However, minutes later, the Republican politician from Kentucky returned to the podium and he told reporters that he was “fine,” according to CNN. An aide for McConnell later explained that he “felt lightheaded and stepped away for a moment,” to the news network. “He came back to handle Q and A, which as everyone observed was sharp,” they said.
In the video, which you can also be see here, McConnell appeared to be mid-sentence when he stopped talking out of nowhere. After he had frozen up for nearly 20 seconds, fellow Republican Senators Joni Ernst (IA) and Barasso approached him to check if he was okay. “Hey Mitch, anything else you want to say? Or should we just go back to your office? Do you want to say anything else to the press?” Barasso could be heard saying to him as he walked away. As McConnell walked away, Ernst reportedly made the sign of the cross on herself.
Barrasso told reporters on Wednesday that he had pulled McConnell aside and walked down the hall with him to check on him, per The Washington Post. “I just wanted to make sure everything was fine with him, and it was,” Barrasso, the No. 3 GOP leader, told reporters afterward. “I’ve been concerned since the first time — since he was injured a number of months ago,” he added. “I continue to be concerned.”
The freeze-up comes about four months after McConnell suffered a concussion after falling at a Washington D.C. hotel on March 8. The Kentucky senator spent a few days in the hospital for treatment, before he was discharged on March 13. He underwent some rehab treatment following the fall. The Republican completed rehab on March 25 and returned to the Senate in mid-April. As he made his return, he made a joke about his fall and return. “It’s good to be back,” he said, per ABC News. “Suffice to say, this wasn’t the first time being hard-headed has served me very well.”